traveling by finnair, can a 16 year old travel to st. petersburg, russia alone? I have both russian and usa passports on me and last year when I traveled with my parents back to the us, we asked some airport customs/passport checker lady (excuse that.. i don't know what its properly called) in russia and she said I can travel to Russia alone but I need to be 18 or older to go back to the us alone (my moms traveling there on a later date so that's not an issue) I just want to reassure that that is the case and it hasn't changed within the year
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1As a rule, citizen of a state should be able to enter this state whenever what. I'd say what is more curious is how you will accommodate on having entered, without elders.– bipllJul 13, 2019 at 20:43
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1I'm staying with my cousin, she'll be picking me up from the airport, I speak russian very well I can get around fine– cupidsJul 13, 2019 at 21:36
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People checking passports are often called "immigration officers" in English. A less specific term is "border guard" or "border officer." Checking passports is strictly speaking not a customs function, but customs and immigration functions can be (and often are, especially at land crossings) combined in one officer.– phoogJul 14, 2019 at 15:57
1 Answer
Yes you can travel alone, but as you have US and Russian citizenship you should note this advice from the US Dept of State Bureau of Consular Affairs https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/RussianFederation.html
“Minors who also have Russian citizenship and are traveling alone or in the company of adults who are not their parents, must carry a Russian passport as well as their parents’ notarized consent for the trip, which can be obtained at a Russian embassy or consulate, or a U.S. notary public. A consent obtained in the United States from a U.S. notary public must be apostilled, translated into Russian, and properly affixed. Authorities will prevent such minors from entering or leaving Russia if they cannot present this consent.”
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Strictly speaking, a notary does not provide the consent but only certifies that the signature of the parent signing the consent is genuine. I doubt that's a sufficient quibble for a downvote, however, much less an unexplained one.– phoogJul 14, 2019 at 15:59